October Newsletter

Dear Music Families,

Hopefully this note finds your family healthy and thriving one month into the school year. 

1. Stay connected - It was good to see so many of you at the first PVPHS Music Booster meeting on Sept. 21. If you are interested in staying abreast of the latest, please consider coming to the next meeting Monday Oct 19 at 7pm.  Here is the zoom link:
   https://us04web.zoom.us/j/73801338712?pwd=ditnY2pYZWk2bEZaOGVobGlvMHhWQT09
   Meeting ID: 738 0133 8712
   Password: music
   
   Meeting dates are posted at https://www.pvphsmusicboosters.com/ and are generally the 3rd Monday of the month, except when holidays coincide.
   
   JOIN US to meet the most creative, fun parent group on campus (my opinion) and support your child’s music passion.
   
   
2. We’ll be keeping major announcements on the website https://www.pvphsmusicboosters.com/
3. Jazz Families: Join the parent meeting  with Mr Lloyd and Jazz President Alison Menninger on Oct 7 at 7pm. Here is the link:
   https://us04web.zoom.us/j/7668094714?pwd=WWtsNWJQdTNxblUxRWxMRWhEbHB5Zz09
   Meeting ID: 766 809 4714
   Passcode: 2rFrYg
   Email pvphsjazzband@gmail.com for more info. 
   
   Also, if you are looking for a cool jazz opportunity you can do from home, check out the Saturday Stanford Jazz Workshops coming up 10/21, 11/20, and 12/19. You can sign up for one, two, or three days. $39 for one, discounted to $89 for 3. Having done their summer online jazz camp, I will say: this is a STEAL. Also, I always point aspiring improvisers to jazzangels.org in Long Beach. They are running a hybrid experience and will start winter session soon.
   
   
4. Orchestra: Keep your ears open for a probable parent meeting with Mr. Doctor and our new orchestra president Mary Lee Henderson, coming up. Another orchestra opportunity will audition in January, pandemic permitting, with the Pacific Vision Youth Symphony. I’ll keep you posted as I learn more. 
5. Marching Band parents will probably have a meeting with president Christina Hussain and Mike Lloyd soon. 
6. Choir: The two choirs are doing well and plugging away online. Mr. Doctor is finding creative ways to do music by introducing two web based apps; Site Reading Factory and Soundtrap for Education. These apps and projects are keeping the kids engaged and encouraging them to have fun with this new way of learning music. If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out! penhighchoirboosters@gmail.com
7. Music Booster Membership: For those who have joined the music booster club by turning in the registration form for their ensemble(s), THANK YOU!  If you have not, please do so here: https://www.pvphsmusicboosters.com/registration.html
   I’m concerned that very few orchestra families completed this form, and they may miss out on communications (!) if we don’t have their parent emails. If your student wants to submit hours for a President’s Volunteer Service Award, they must be a music booster member (see #9 below). The suggested donation is voluntary. This year most groups reduced the suggested amount to account for the fact that festivals are likely cancelled and many families are adversely affected by the pandemic. ANY AMOUNT you can pitch in helps pay for everything from sheet music to music stands to the chairs our kids sit on, so please help if you can. If you would like to make an extra donation to support another student who cannot pay, we appreciate that doubly. Donations may be tax deductible (excluding amounts for uniforms: ties, t-shirts, etc.). Many employers will also match donations (Boeing, etc.), please check.
8. Participation donations and “Athletic/Activity Clearance”: this is required for any group getting PE credit (Marching Band) or going on trips (all ensembles). This is separate from Music Booster membership. It covers transportation and was turned into the Student Store with the Clearance forms in past years. It looks like this year the procedure may be online. None of this is needed just yet -- we’ll keep you posted as the procedure unfolds. Yes it’s convoluted, but we’ll be here to guide.
9. For students who do a lot of volunteering, consider getting acknowledged and applying for the President’s Volunteer Service Award! You must be registered as a Music Booster Member (see #7 above). Volunteer hour requirements are here: http://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/ and more info is on our website: http://www.pvphsmusicboosters.com/community-service.html. The minimum requirement is 100 hours during a year (Jan 1-Dec 31), or 50 hours if 15 years or younger. You get a cool certificate bearing the “signature” of the U.S. President, a pin, and a nice entry in your resume. Volunteer hours need not be music, but they cannot be something you are doing for a class, compensation, or another award (like Eagle Scout). And you’ll need to keep a record of the hours and adult supervisor. Questions: pvphsmusicboosterscomserv@gmail.com
10. Seniors: if we are able to have a banquet this year, your ticket ($40 value) will be free if you are a music booster member.  Another reason to register!
11. Tri-M National Music Honor Society: sophomores, juniors and seniors take note that applications for the TriM (Modern Music Masters) National Honor Society are being accepted now through Friday, Oct. 23. Now’s the time to apply/re-apply for membership. Information is available here: https://www.pvphsmusicboosters.com/tri-m-honor-society.html
12. Summer Music Tutoring : speaking of volunteering, we had a couple dozen Pen musicians tutor younger students over Zoom this summer for the first time (it’s always been in-person). The feedback from families was terrific. Thank you for all who gave your time. One tutor tallied enough hours for a service award doing this one activity alone-- amazing! We proved the music engagement is possible virtually!
13. Music in the age of COVID: Aerosol scientists are hard at work quantifying risks of COVID related to singing and playing musical instruments, as well as studying ways to reduce the risk to acceptable levels. It appears that it is possible to do this, at least in the controlled setting of the lab. Currently, the word from the school district is No Instruments, No Singing. However it does not yet take into account the science which is rapidly progressing into a more nuanced approach, nor the fact that instruments like violin add no risk compared to a calculator in a math class. Our music teachers and I are actively trying to engage the School Board, PVPHS Administration, the Superintendent’s Music Professionals Committee, and even the Department of Public Health to formulate a plan to return to live music instruction. It is possible that we may need a little funding support to purchase needed instrument masks and supplies.
    
    You may have heard last week of the choir in Spain that had >75% of its members infected by one sick singer during a rehearsal and live concert two days later. Examining what is public knowledge, the choir did most things right. The critical lesson is that wearing masks most of the time and practicing indoors because they needed air conditioning didn’t work when they had a superspreader in their midst. The lesson for us is this: when we resume in-person music, we’re going to need 100% compliance with protective protocols (currently being developed). Please start counseling your children that 100% compliance is needed if they don’t want live music to be cancelled or to bring infection home to their families. Encourage them to RESPECT THE VIRUS if they want to be safe and remain able to be at school in-person. Lapses in respect, as we can see from current events, are what cause problems with COVID.
    
    
14. Please consider making your Amazon purchases through the Amazon Smile portal: https://smile.amazon.com/.  You can designate “Palos Verdes Peninsula High School Music Booster Club in Rolling Hills Estates, CA” to receive a small donation from Amazon (no cost to you!) each time you purchase something. It really adds up. Ralphs also has a donation program, register here to support “Palos Verdes Peninsula High School Orchestra Group” or “PALOS VERDES PENINSULA HS JAZZ BAND” : https://www.ralphs.com/i/community/community-contribution-program
15. One last word: While no one would say that virtual music is ideal, I can vouch that my son is remaining successfully engaged with orchestra and jazz  thanks to the huge efforts and creativity of Dan Doctor and Mike Lloyd. Join me in supporting and thanking them!

Angela Tang
PVPHS Music Booster Club, President